Thursday, January 31, 2013

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Goodreads Summary: Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is unlike anything I've ever read. Ever. Mara can't remember the horrible night her best friend died. The stress of it is causing her to have scary hallucinations so her family decides to move to Florida for a change of scenery, but strange things are happening to Mara. Things she isn't sure are real or in her mind.

I need to begin by saying that Michelle Hodkin's writing is beautiful. If you don't read this book for any other reason, read it for the writing. The writing is clear and purposeful, and the imagery is fantastic. I'm not sure how I feel about Mara as a character. She went back and forth between likeable and not while I was reading. The added element of her being sort of unreliable was also kinda confusing when I was trying to decide if I like her or not. I don't agree with some of her decisions, but I do understand why she makes them. I do feel bad for her, and I do understand that what she's gone through is hellish, but I also never fully connected with her.

On the other hand, I do know how I feel about Noah, the love interest. He is fantastically wonderful and perfect and amazing and perfect. Did I say perfect? But he's technically not perfect, because he's a bit of a womanizer and hasn't always been a good guy. Plus, he has secrets of his own. He is good for Mara, though. In case you couldn't tell, I totally have a crush on Noah. Did I mention he's British? With an accent? Which you have to imagine because you're reading, but still.

Noah's interactions with Mara are so perfect it's too perfect at times. Really, in real life no one has conversations like they do. The witty banter was slightly unrealistic, but oh so fun to read.

What wasn't so much fun to read was when Mara was imagining things, or maybe not imagining things, or maybe imagining part of something but the rest was real. I didn't know what to believe and what not to believe. It was really strange sometimes. At first it didn't bother me, because the strange things were obviously just hallucinations. Until they weren't anymore. Then it got weird. It was difficult for me to put the pieces together as I was reading The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, but that's part of what kept me turning the pages. I had to know what was real, what wasn't real, how it was all connected. The end felt a little rushed, because everything comes together so quickly. The last page left me sitting there like "What?" and, well, I really need the next book. Like right now. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a unique and page turning thriller with a hot romance. It was sometimes confusing, and the end was a little rushed, but I enjoyed reading it. I'm really looking forward to reading the sequels.

I felt the exact same way about Noah! I liked this book when I read it, but it didn't stick in my head as well as I wanted it to, plus Noah made me feel conflicted. I'll read the second one eventually, but I feel like I need a serious recap of book one!

I'm with you on Noah -- love that boy! I have a major soft spot for Mara's brothers too. And yea, the third book CANNOT get published soon enough. I have such a love-hate relationship with cliff-hangers :/

When I read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, it did not had that effect on me as it did for many others but I'm still eager to solve the mystery!! Great review, I love the characters and their very very special attitudes ;)

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About Me

Lifelong lover of literature, Harry Potter fangirl, college student. Sometimes I write about books and sometimes I write about life, but they're usually the same thing. Motto: Drink coffee, read books, be happy.